Chapter 10: Disciplinary Committee in Chaos (1)
While Kim Hyunsung was leading a busy life—
There was an uproar in the principal’s office at Cheonil High School because of what Kim Hyunsung had done.
“Mrs. Jung Minho. What happened is—”
Clang!
The middle-aged woman sitting across from him slammed her teacup down.
Faced with the intense fury radiating from her expression, Principal Oh Daehwan trailed off and cautiously gauged her mood.
Jung Minho’s mother.
Kim Soonja spoke.
“Principal Oh Daehwan, I trust you understand just how precious our Minho is. He’s the only son of three generations, born after a difficult pregnancy. We’ve raised him with such care that we would’ve plucked the stars from the sky if he asked. How do you think I felt as a mother when I heard he was rushed to the emergency room?”
“I’m truly sorry about what happened—”
“Excuse me! Do you think I came here just to hear an apology?!”
Her rage exploded.
Kim Soonja glared at Oh Daehwan with eyes blazing with murderous intent.
“Let’s lay it all out, shall we? Ever since Minho enrolled at Cheonil High School, do you remember all the things I’ve done for you? If the kids needed grass for sports, I provided grass. If the library needed books for cultural development, I donated books. Whenever you subtly hinted at needing something, I never once turned you down. Why do you think I did that? It was so that our Minho—my precious son!—could attend Cheonil High School without any inconvenience. We’re not so foolish that we can’t understand the meaning behind all that, are we?”
“You’re absolutely right.”
“And someone who knows that handles things this way?!”
She shrieked.
Oh Daehwan’s submissive attitude only fueled the fire in her chest.
He knew all that—yet still allowed her son to be exposed to brutal violence.
Kim Soonja couldn’t tolerate it.
Oh Daehwan said,
“No excuse can justify what happened. I am truly sorry. I should have managed things better to prevent any incidents, but everything happened so suddenly that I couldn’t respond in time. I sincerely apologize.”
Oh Daehwan’s apology—
Was the only solution.
At first, Kim Soonja pressed on relentlessly, but as Oh Daehwan maintained his consistent tone, her anger visibly began to subside. The water was already spilled. Since the situation couldn’t be reversed, what she needed now was a clear and decisive resolution to quell her burning rage.
“Since you’re speaking with such sincerity, I won’t question it further. But I need one thing clearly promised. The student who did this to our Minho—make sure he’s punished severely so that this never happens again. If you don’t handle this properly, I will no longer do anything for Cheonil High School.”
“I understand. You have nothing to worry about in that regard.”
Oh Daehwan, too—
Was already determined not to forgive Kim Hyunsung for the fallout caused by this incident.
“I’ve already convened the disciplinary committee, and all of its members are people who follow my lead. Four students were hospitalized because of Kim Hyunsung. I will make sure that he is not only disciplined within the school, but also faces legal consequences once the committee finishes its proceedings.”
“Well, if that’s how it’ll be handled…”
“Yes, please leave that part to me. Have I ever disappointed you before—aside from this incident?”
The mood shifted.
Now that she had secured his promise, Kim Soonja smiled faintly, her expression softening a little.
“That’s true. Then I’ll place my trust in you, Principal Oh. Oh, and you mentioned needing funding for school renovations before, didn’t you? If this matter is wrapped up well, I’ll help you with that too.”
* * *
The conversation with Oh Daehwan ended smoothly.
But instead of heading straight home, Kim Soonja sought out another figure at Cheonil High School.
It was none other than—
“Mr. Kim Youngcheol. Care to explain yourself? Minho says you witnessed him being assaulted and just walked away. If you don’t give a proper explanation, I won’t let this go.”
Homeroom teacher of Class 1.
Kim Youngcheol was her new target.
When she heard Minho’s account, Kim Soonja felt her blood boiling.
Flustered, Kim Youngcheol stammered,
“Uh… well, you see… to be honest, things were so chaotic at the time that I didn’t properly see what happened. That’s right! Students were being taken to the emergency room right in front of me. As the homeroom teacher of one of the victims, I was trying to manage the situation and… I failed to check on Minho properly. That’s all, really—”
“You bastard!”
Smack!
Kim Youngcheol’s head jerked sideways.
She slapped him.
With his cheek burning red, Kim Youngcheol couldn’t even bring himself to hold it, and had to endure Kim Soonja’s tirade.
“You think I stuffed your pockets with money just to hear that pathetic excuse? There’s only one way for you to atone for this. You’ll make sure the perpetrator is expelled through the disciplinary committee. You get what I mean?”
“…I’m sorry.”
“That’s why you don’t trust lowlifes like you. Don’t just say sorry—promise me you’ll do what I said!”
A promise.
Kim Youngcheol found himself trapped.
He had taken her money, so of course he had to help. But if he openly demanded Kim Hyunsung’s punishment through the committee, just as Kim Soonja wanted, his own affair would come to light.
‘A dilemma with no escape.’
He was stuck either way.
For now, he had to find a way to get through the moment.
Suppressing his turmoil, Kim Youngcheol spoke with an apologetic expression.
“…I truly apologize for what happened that day. I made a serious mistake, and I’ll make it right through this disciplinary committee.”
“Remember this. If I expose the bribes and just transfer Minho to another school, that’s the end of it for me. But for you, living with that kind of label as a teacher? It won’t be so easy. How you handle this will determine the future of our relationship. Understood?”
“Understood.”
And with that—
The situation came to a close, at least for now.
As Kim Soonja walked away, Kim Youngcheol let out a sigh so heavy, it felt like the sky was crashing down on him.
“Shit, what the hell am I supposed to do?”
No matter how he thought about it—
Betraying Kim Hyunsung was simply not an option.
* * *
A week passed quickly.
The day of the disciplinary committee.
Kim Youngcheol was attending the meeting as the homeroom teacher.
While preparing his seat in advance, he spotted the other attendees entering the room.
‘The result’s already decided, isn’t it.’
The disciplinary committee.
This gathering for assigning punishments varied slightly from school to school, but at Cheonil High School, it included the victim, the guardian, the teachers involved in the incident, the principal, and representatives from the school’s parent association. These people would collectively decide the level of punishment. The problem was, most of the people present had close ties to Jung Minho’s mother, Kim Soonja.
Not just the principal.
Even the parent association representatives were well-connected with her.
Given this setup, disciplinary committees usually produced outcomes desired by those with the larger backing.
‘I have to see Kim Hyunsung.’
It was a fight with a guaranteed loss.
Which meant—
He needed to take action beforehand.
Since refusing Kim Soonja’s demands wasn’t an option, the only way forward was to win over Kim Hyunsung. It wouldn’t be easy. Even anticipating retaliation, Kim Youngcheol couldn’t just sit and wait while being cornered.
As a result—
“No.”
“Hyunsung!”
Kim Hyunsung’s reply was cold.
His tone drew a firm line, and Kim Youngcheol panicked.
“Minho’s mother has already influenced the entire committee. There’s nothing we can do here! The only way to reduce your punishment is to accept the outcome quietly! Stubbornness won’t change anything!”
“That’s my decision to make, sir. I understand Minho’s mother is pressuring you, but this is a fork in the road. You need to make a wise choice. Decide whether you’d rather expose the bribe you took—or your affair. I’m not saying we can resolve this peacefully. Whatever choice you make, you’d better stand firm in it.”
He was resolute.
There was no room for negotiation.
“It’s simple. If you’re going to go down, go down together. If you want to survive, use whatever means necessary. That’s the only way.”
It was a brick wall.
In this hopeless situation, Kim Youngcheol wanted nothing more than to smack the boy across the face.
But he couldn’t.
He was over forty.
Someone his age couldn’t afford to ruin his life over a moment of rage.
“One by one, please take your seats.”
“We will now begin the disciplinary committee meeting.”
A voice called out from afar.
As Kim Hyunsung walked ahead, Kim Youngcheol wore the expression of a man who had lost everything.
* * *
Kim Youngcheol sat down.
His face was grim.
He couldn’t mask his anxiety over the grim reality that would follow the committee’s decision.
‘I’m finished. Whether I go down as a corrupt teacher or an adulterer, I’ll lose my career. What am I supposed to do if I lose my job at this age? Open a fried chicken joint with the money I’ve saved?’
It was a hopeless spiral.
At that moment—
A soft voice came from his side. It was Park Inhwan, homeroom teacher of Class 8, also attending as a related faculty member.
“Hey, Youngcheol. Doesn’t that guy over there look like Go Chang-beom?”
Kim Youngcheol and Park Inhwan—
Were close friends.
They bonded quickly, knowing each other’s dirty laundry, and casually dropped formalities when no students were around. At first, Kim Youngcheol didn’t understand what Park Inhwan meant or who he was pointing to.
“…Who’s Go Chang-beom?”
“You don’t know Go Chang-beom? The eldest son of Myungjin Construction. We’ve seen him a few times at those entertainment joints.”
“Oh? That Go Chang-beom?”
In an instant—
Kim Youngcheol’s eyes widened.
He turned to look where Park Inhwan was pointing.
“It really is. That’s Go Chang-beom.”
No doubt.
Examining the man carefully, he realized it was the same face he’d seen under the dim lights of those nightlife establishments. In Daesan, Go Chang-beom was a famous name. But few people actually recognized his face. Because Kim Youngcheol frequented such places, he recognized him immediately.
The problem was—
What was Go Chang-beom doing here?
He quickly checked the seating chart and realized that Go Chang-beom was seated in the guardian’s section—for Kim Hyunsung.
‘The eldest son of Myungjin Construction is here as Kim Hyunsung’s guardian? What the hell is going on? I thought Hyunsung lived with his grandmother, with no parents… Calm down, Youngcheol. Let’s sort out the facts. That is Go Chang-beom of Myungjin Construction. And he’s seated in the guardian spot for Kim Hyunsung. It’s not a seating mistake—his name is listed on the official attendee sheet. I just didn’t notice it earlier because of the chaos. I can’t believe that Go Chang-beom is that Go Chang-beom.’
His mind spiraled.
No matter what Park Inhwan said next to him, Kim Youngcheol was trapped in his own thoughts.
‘Now that I think about it, it was odd. Why didn’t Kim Hyunsung look even slightly nervous despite doing something so bold? If someone like Go Chang-beom had his back, everything makes sense. I don’t know what their relationship is, but he’s clearly here as Hyunsung’s guardian.’
His breathing grew ragged.
Go Chang-beom’s presence—
Was it a good thing?
Or a bad one?
‘If Go Chang-beom really came here to protect Kim Hyunsung—then this is a whole different level from Minho’s parents. They may have money, but Myungjin Construction is the biggest company in Daesan. Nobody crosses Myungjin in this city.’
And soon—
It was time to decide.
Kim Youngcheol swallowed hard.
In this world-shattering moment, this unexpected variable brought an unimaginable possibility.
Then—
“We will now begin the disciplinary committee. To start, we’ll hear the details of the incident from Mr. Kim Youngcheol, the homeroom teacher of both the victim and the accused.”
It was Oh Daehwan speaking.
All eyes turned to him.
Everyone looked at Kim Youngcheol, including Kim Soonja and Jung Minho, their faces full of expectation.
It was decision time.
No more time to think.
Kim Youngcheol shot up from his seat and, straining his voice, declared:
“This incident is crystal clear! What occurred was a heinous reversal of roles—where so-called bullies like Jung Minho tormented their classmates, and the victim was unjustly labeled the perpetrator!”
Betrayal.
Rather than lose everything, he chose to bet it all on Kim Hyunsung’s confidence.
